Adjustable furniture

ABSTRACT

An adjustable piece of furniture comprising three basic structural components adapted to be joined to each other for providing the basic frame structure of the piece of furniture. The three basic components are as follows: (a) an elbow-joint, (b) a T-joint and (c) a piece of tubing. The piece of furniture comprises two U-shaped components arranged parallel to each other which are joined by means of three pieces of tubing, two of said pieces of tubing joining respectively the ends of the legs of the U-shaped components to each other, whereas the third piece of tubing joins the base members of the two U-shaped components to each other substantially at their midpoints. The legs of each one of the U-shaped components are joined to the base member by elbows. The base member, in turn, comprises a T-joint at substantially its midpoint which is joined to the elbows at opposite ends of the base member by pieces of tubing of suitable length. The T-joint in each base member has a leg extending therefrom which is joined to the leg of the other T-joint by means of a piece of tubing. The piece of tubing joining the legs of the T-joints in each base member of the U-shaped components serves as a support for a flexible supporting surface, whereas one of the pieces of tubings joining opposite ends of legs of the U-shaped components serves as the other support for the flexible support member.

United States Patent Ingellis [451 Oct. 3, 1972 41 ADJUSTABLE FURNITURE [72] Inventor: Joseph Frank Ingellis, 50-22 40th St., Sunnyside, NY. 11104 22 Filed: Nov. 12,1970

211 Appl.No.: 88,947

[52] US. Cl ..297/441, 297/440 [51] Int. Cl ..A47c 7/00 [58] Field of Search ..297/440, 441; 285/126 CH [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,925,977 2/ 1960 Cononi ..287/126 X 1,039,759 10/1912 Knight ..297/440 3,074,203 l/ 1963 Paksy ..297/440 UX 3,313,51 l 4/ 1967 Koemer et a]. ..297/DIG. 6 3,220,767 1 H1965 Hendrickson ..297/D1G. 6 1,505,518 8/ 1924 Workman ..297/440 X l,945,l 13 l/ 1934 Kloboocnik ..297/440 M 3,471,200 10/1969 Morrison ..297/441 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 245,327 7/1947 Switzerland ..297/440 Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam AllorneyArthur O. Klein [57] ABSTRACT An adjustable piece of furniture comprising three basicstructural components adapted to be joined to each other for providing the basic frame structure of the piece of furniture. The three basic components are as follows: (a) an elbow-joint, (b) a T-joint and (c) a piece of tubing. The piece of furniture comprises two U-shaped components arranged parallel to each other which are joined by means of three pieces of tubing, two of said pieces of tubing joining respectively the ends of the legs of the U-shaped components to each other, whereas the third piece of tubing joins the base members of the two U-shaped components to each other substantially at their midpoints. The legs of each one of the U-shaped components are joined to the base member by elbows. The base member, in turn, comprises a T-joint at substantially its midpoint which is joined to the elbows at opposite ends of the base member by pieces of tubing of suitable length. The T- joint in each base member has a leg extending therefrom which is joined to the leg of the other T- joint by means of a piece of tubing. The piece of tubing joining the legs of the T-joints in each base member of the U-shaped components serves as a support for a flexible supporting surface, whereas one of the pieces of tubings joining opposite ends of legs of the U-shaped components serves as the other support for the flexible support member.

7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to adjustable furniture. In particular, the present invention relates to that type of adjustable furniture, consisting of structural components having three basic different structural shapes, which are: (a) a piece of straight tubing, (b) an elbow, and (c) a T-shaped tubular member. These basicstructural elements forming the piece of furniture of this invention are preferably made of plastic material that is either injection molded or extruded. It has been found to be particularly advantageous to produce the elbow and T-joints by injection molding and the pieces of tubing by extrusion. It is, however, also possible to produce some or all of the structural elements forming the piece of furniture of metal, such as, for example, anodized aluminum.

Many types of plastic polymers and resin materials have been found to be suitable for the production of the structural components of the piece of furniture of this invention. The acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene thermoplastic polymer materials have been found to be particularly suitable because of their toughness, hardness, and rigidity. These materials are being marketed under the trademark CYCOLAC.

The structural components forming the piece of furniture of this invention can be of any size but are preferably made of tubing having a 4.5 inch outside diameter and a 4.026 inch inside diameter. The wall thickness is preferably half an inch.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel construction for an adjustable piece of furniture.

In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a piece of furniture consisting of structural components having three basic shapes, namely, an elbow shape, a straight piece of tubing shape, and a T- joint shape. While the elbow-joints and T-joints of the piece of furniture should preferably be constant in size, the straight pieces of tubing, which join the elbows and/or T-joints, can be of different sizes depending on what size and type of a piece of furniture is to be assembled by means of the basic structural components. Thus, the following types of pieces of furniture could be assembled by means of the structural components forming the piece of furniture of this invention: chairs, tandem seating, sofas, table and shelf unit supports, etc.

Thus, it is, furthermore, an object of this invention to provide a method for producing pieces of furniture consisting of elbow and T-joints of constant size and pieces of tubing of variable size by means of which almost an infinite variety of sizes, proportions and variations of pieces of furniture can bemade.

The basic structural frame for the piece of furniture can be easily assembled by selecting a predetermined number of structural components which may be stored at a distribution point such as a retail store. Thus, for example, any customer may buy a predetermined number of structural components according to the piece of furniture that is to be constructed by joining the various components. The assembling of these components is easily achieved by anyone so that after the number of components has been purchased, the person may assemble the structural components in his home.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION or DRAWING The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing which forms part of this application and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a piece of furniture in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing all the structural components forming the support frame for the piece of furniture illustrated in FIG. 1 in exploded relationship;

FIG. 3 is a partial elevational view of the flexible support member for the piece of furniture;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view across line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, and in particular, to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, there is illustrated a chair 10 in accordance with this invention. This chair 10 is composed of various structural components of three basic shapes. The basic shapes are: the elbow-joints l, the T- joints 2, and the pieces of tubing 3, 3a, and 3b. All of the structural components have identical exterior and interior diameters. All of the elbow-joints 1 and all of the T-joints 2 are respectively of equal size and shape. All of the elbow-joints l are provided with sleeves 1a projecting from each end. These sleeves la are integral with the main body of the elbow-joint and serve to provideajoint between the elbow-joint l and the pieces of tubing 3, 3a, and 3b.

The T-joint 2 also has a sleeve 20 projecting from each one of its three ends and being integral with the main body of the T-joint. The sleeves 2a also serve for joining the T-joint member to the pieces of tubing 3, 3a and 3b.

As has been stated hereinabove, the actual joining of the elbow-joints and T-joints to the pieces of tubing can be accomplished in any one of several different ways: such as for example, a simple press fit, welding, bonding, etc. All that is necessary is that the actual joint formed between the various structural components is sufficiently strong to withstand the forces that would be applied. Thus, the sleeves la and 2a have an outside diameter which is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the tubing so that they may be inserted into the tubing for purposes of joining the tubing to the respective joint.

As has been stated hereinabove, the structural components are preferably formed of ABS thermoplastic polymers marketed under the trademark CYCOLAC. The elbow and T-joints are preferably made by injection molding, whereas the pieces of tubing are preferably made by extrusion techniques.

After-the support structure of the pieces of furniture has been assembled as illustrated in FiGS. 1 and 2, a support member formed as a flexible sheet of textile or suitable plastic material is mounted on the chair 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1, wherein the sheet is secured to only the upper horizontal member 3a at the rear of the chair and to the single horizontal member 3a at the front of the chair so as to festoon therefrom. This support member can be secured to the transverse pieces of tubing 3a in a number of ways. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the sheet 4 is provided at its edges with a first strip 4a of a fastening material having the trademark VELCRO and thereafter is provided with a plurality of mating strips 4b which are adapted to engage the strip 4a and thereby form a relatively secure joint therewith. As is well known, a mere pressure engagement between the mating pieces of VELCRO 4a and 4b will bring about a joining of such pieces. Altemately, the flexible sheet 4 may be sewn together or otherwise joined together to form a tube through which the pieces of tubing 3a are inserted. It is also possible to mount a plurality of male or female snap connectors on the pieces of tubing 30 and to mount the other mating snap connectors near the edges of the sheet material 4 and thereby provide a mechanical connection between the sheet material and the pieces of tubing 30.

As can be noted from the drawing, the pieces of tubing 3, 3a and 3b can be varied in length thereby assembling basic support structures of different sizes and shapes. In this manner a person can construct in his own home a piece of furniture according to a predetermined plan, that is, according to the sizes of pieces of tubing which he has at his disposal.

Although the invention is illustrated and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be expressly understood that it is in no way limited to the disclosure of such a preferred embodiment, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A piece of furniture adapted to be converted to one of difierent size, comprising in combination the following components: pair of parallelly disposed .U- shaped members, each one of said U-shaped members comprising a pair of parallel legs and a base, said parallel legs being joined to said base by means of first pairs of elbow-joints, said base including a T-joint having a pair of arms and a leg portion projecting from said base, first pairs of pieces of tubing respectively joining said pair of arms of said T-joint to said first pairs of elbow-joints, second and third pairs of elbow-joints respectively mounted on the ends of said pairs of parallel legs distant from said base, second pieces of tubing joining respectively said second and third pairs of elbow-joints, and a third piece of tubing joining said projecting leg portions of said T-joints in said bases of said pair of parallelly disposed U-shaped members, all

of said components are at least partially tubularlyshaped, all of said tubularly shaped portions having equal outside and inside diameters, whereby the opposite and parallel components of the piece of furniture of equal length can be replaced by components of a different equal length.

2. The piece of furniture, as set forth in claim 1, wherein all of said components are made of plastic material.

3. The piece of fumiture, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said plastic material is selected from the group of acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene thermoplastic polymers.

4. The piece of furniture, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said elbow-joints and T-joints have sleeve portions projecting from their respective ends which are integral with the respective joints and are adapted to be inserted into said pieces of tubing so as to form a structural connection between said joints and said pieces of PThe piece of furniture, as set forth in claim 1, including a flexible sheet being connected to one of said second pieces of tubing and said third piece of tubing so as to form a seat therebetween.

6. The piece of furniture, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the piece of furniture is a chair, the pair of parallely disposed U-shaped members are disposed in confronting relationship in spaced parallel planes, each one of said U-shaped members comprises parallel upper and lower legs and a vertically extending base, said first pairs of pieces of tubing respectively joining said pair of arms of said T-joint to said first pairs of elbow-joints are vertically aligned, one of said second pieces of tubing joining said second and third pair of elbow-joints is disposed above the other, the third piece of tubing is disposed horizontal, and comprising a flexible sheet connected to the upper one of said second pieces of tubing and said third piece of tubing so as to form a seat therebetween.

7. A chair, as set forth in claim 6, wherein the pieces of tubing in the first pairs thereof are of at least substantially equal lengths, and wherein the flexible sheet is connected to only the upper one of said second pieces of tubing and said third piece of tubing so as to festoon therefrom. 

1. A piece of furniture adapted to be converted to one of different size, comprising in combination the following components: pair of parallelly disposed U-shaped members, each one of said U-shaped members comprising a pair of parallel legs and a base, said parallel legs being joined to said base by means of first pairs of elbow-joints, said base including a T-joint having a pair of arms and a leg portion projecting from said base, first pairs of pieces of tubing respectively joining said pair of arms of said T-joint to said first pairs of elbow-joints, second and third pairs of elbow-joints respectively mounted on the ends of said pairs of parallel legs distant from said base, second pieces of tubing joining respectively said second and third pairs of elbow-joints, and a third piece of tubing joining said projecting leg portions of said T-joints in said bases of said pair of parallelly disposed U-shaped members, all of said components are at least partially tubularly-shaped, all of said tubularly shaped portions having equal outside and inside diameters, whereby the opposite and parallel components of the piece of furniture of equal length can be replaced by components of a different equal length.
 2. The piece of furniture, as set forth in claim 1, wherein all of said components are made of plastic material.
 3. The piece of furniture, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said plastic material is selected from the group of acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene thermoplastic polymers.
 4. The piece of furniture, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said elbow-joints and T-joints have sleeve portions projecting from their respective ends which are integral with the respective joints and are adapted to be inserted into said pieces of tubing so as to form a structural connection between said joints and said pieces of tubing.
 5. The piece of furniture, as set forth in claim 1, including a flexible sheet being connected to one of said second pieces of tubing and said third piece of tubing so as to form a seat therebetween.
 6. The piece of furniture, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the piece of furniture is a chair, the pair of parallely disposed U-shaped members are disposed in confronting relationship in spaced parallel planes, each one of said U-shaped members comprises parallel upper and lower legs and a vertically extending base, said first pairs of pieces of tubing respectively joining said pair of arms of said T-joint to said first pairs of elbow-joints are vertically aligned, one of said second pieces of tubing joining said second and third pair of elbow-joints is disposed above the other, the third piece of tubing is disposed horizontal, and comprising a flexible sheet connected to the upper one of said second pieces of tubing and said third piece of tubing so as to form a seat therebetween.
 7. A chair, as set forth in claim 6, wherein the pieces of tubing in the first pairs thereof are of at least substantially equal lengths, and wherein the flexible sheet is connected to only the upper one of said second pieces of tubing and said third piece of tubing so as to festoon therefrom. 